Compassion
by jazziisms
Summary: Annie saves Marco and has to deal with the consequences of what's to come. Canon divergence. JAM / Jeanani.


Anonymous said: In another world where Annie decided to pick up Marco like a sack of potatoes rather than letting a titan get him (this could happen as a immediate direct defiance of Reiner's orders or happening afterwards, seeing Marco stripped of his gear, then feeling pity and regret and having second thoughts, turning back to help him) Where would they go from there? What would happen next? (and remember besides titans in Trost-there would be two warriors hot on their tails!)

A/N: And thus, this fic was born.

* * *

I.

"We can't let him go alive."

Reiner's words struck a cord. Annie appraised the scene before her, a helpless Marco in Reiner's steel grip, begging for her help, and Bertholdt just... _standing_ there.

"What the hell is your problem?! You piece of shit!" Annie yelled. Marco stared up at her in shock, having never seen her express so much emotion. So much distress.

"Reiner! A titan!" Bertholdt announced, looking worriedly up ahead. "It's coming this way!"

"Annie!" Reiner barked at her, tightening his grip on the freckled teen, causing the latter to make a choking noise. "Take Marco's vertical maneuvering equipment off of him!"

"Wha?" Marco exclaimed.

"Do it! Hurry!" Reiner ordered.

What...the fuck.

"Why...me?" Why the hell would Reiner involve her? Why now? "You two caused this mess," she pointed out. "Get Bertholdt to do it for you!"

"No, you do it!"

"You still haven't given me a reason!"

"You just risked your own life to save Connie's, didn't you?! Why would you put yourself in that kind of danger?!" Reiner ranted. "Have you started to feel compassion for this evil race? Prove me wrong right here!

"If you claim that you...and the father waiting for your return...are different from this defiled race...prove it to me now!"

"Reiner! It's about to get here!" Bertholdt exclaimed worriedly.

Time was running out.

"That...what?"

"Annie!"

"Reiner! We -"

She shot forward before she could even think twice. Marco's agonized screaming of protest, begging, asking why, why was she doing this, only made it harder for her to think. His voice made her gaze snap up and meet his, and something within her broke.

"That's what makes us warriors," Reiner said gravely, eyes narrowed. "Good job...Annie."

This...this wasn't right.

She should have never gotten herself involved in this.

Why was she doing this? Really?

Reiner was not in the right state of mind. He fucked up, for whatever reason that brought this innocent boy into something that he had no business worming himself into. And now he wanted to bring her down with him.

But Annie was a selfish creature of habit. She walked alone. The only reason why she even knew his name was because her father told her of the two boys who shared a similar mission, like she did. That did not automatically make them friends. She had no friends. In the end, she looked out for herself. Saved her own ass.

The tears streaming down Marco's cheeks, the sound of the titan's footsteps getting closer and closer...She didn't know if it was because she pitied Marco, or if it was because she did not want any more blood on her hands than need it be, or maybe it was because, somewhere deep within the layers she's spent years building and building, Annie had a small shred of humanity left. She watched as Reiner and Bertholdt made a run for it, leaving Marco alone on that roof, and she looked back at him.

"...Oh hell," she muttered to herself.

Then she raced back for Marco.

"Annie? What the hell are you doing?!"

" _Fuck_ you," Annie glared at Reiner, hoisting Marco up in her arms. "You don't tell me what to do, Reiner. You got yourself into this shit. Don't make me responsible for your mistakes."

"A-Annie? What's going on?" Marco asked, partially flustered from the fact that he had already forgotten how strong this girl was.

"Quiet. We're getting out of here."

She shot one last look at Reiner: Follow us, and I'll kill you myself.

Then she takes off with Marco in her arms, right as the titan approached the roof. They can take care of themselves, she thought, not worried if they got killed. Being the creatures they were, they didn't fear other titans. Not even abnormals.

Marco was quiet during the ride, and the first thing Annie wanted to do was stop and ask him questions. But it just wasn't the right time. How much did he know? Did he know that Reiner and Bertholdt were the Armored and Colossal? Did he know that she was a titan? Marco wasn't stupid. If he had some sense, which he seemed to had plenty of, Annie wouldn't have to begin regretting saving his life.

She didn't speak to him until they were miles away from where they had been.

"I don't suppose you know of Jean's whereabouts, do you?"

* * *

They reached the others in no time.

Well, specifically:

"Marco! Where the hell have you been?"

The fair haired teen weaved through the small crowd, making his way towards them. The look of confusion on his face when he saw who was with Marco was almost comical.

Annie and Marco shared a glance, further rising Jean's suspicions. Stepping forward, Marco put a fake smile on and said, "Good to see you've made it out alive!" hiding the fact that he was still shaken by what just happened. He wasn't even ready to face Reiner and Bertholdt yet. "Was Eren able to complete the mission?"

"Yep. No more titans can get in. Or out." Annie avoided Jean's gaze when he looked at her. "The Scouts are taking care of the rest of 'em."

"Is everyone okay?"

"We've lost a lot of people today, but yeah." Jean folded his arms across his chest. "We're all still together."

Annie pressed her lips together in a thin line. If it wasn't for what she had done, the 104th would have lost one of its golden members. Goodie two-shoes Marco Bodt, a role model for any child, whose biggest dream was to join the Military Police. Was that still his plan?

 _I better keep a close eye on him,_ she thought.

"You." Jean addressed her directly.

An eyebrow raised on her end. "You."

"Strange seeing you two together. How did you find each other?"

Annie felt Marco's eyes on her face but she didn't look at him. Instead, she decided to go for the half-truth route. She wasn't exactly lying. "I saved him from a titan."

From three of them really.

"That was...nice of you."

Annie grunted.

"First me and Connie, now Marco? I'm starting to think you're growing soft, Annie."

Her jaw went taut. "Don't mistake this as friendship." Icy hues drift from one male to the next, hands balling into fists as she walked away from them. "I wasn't going to let a comrade die when I could have done something."

Marco started smiling.

"What's that look for?" Jean raised both of his eyebrows at him.

"Comrades." Marco's face brightened. "She called us _comrades."_

"...Yeah, so? We're not friends with her, remember? She just said that."

"I know, but…" His gaze softened. "Something tells me she's starting to have a change of heart."

"How do you know?"

Marco shrugged innocently. "I have a hunch?"

* * *

It's hard to get that boy alone.

With Marco and Jean being connected hip to hip all the time ( honestly, at this point, their closeness could rival Eren and Armin's ), it made it more difficult for Annie to come up with a subtle approach that didn't scream suspicion. They weren't together all the time though, and Annie waited until Marco came out of the male's room before she grabbed him and shoved him against the wall. His - _very unmanly_ \- squeak was smothered by her hand.

"Don't scream," she warned, lowering her hand while the other still held him captive. She's not exactly as threatening in her pajamas, but it's better she find him first before Reiner and Bertholdt get a chance to. "What do you know about us?" she demanded in a low voice.

"About who?" he said back just as quietly.

"Reiner. Bertholdt." She corrected herself. She wasn't going to tell him about her. Not yet.

"What do you know?"

"I…I'm not sure."

"Well, you better do your best to remember."

"Okay, okay! Uh...I overheard Reiner and Bertholdt talking about the wall and Reiner's…'titan'..." he went on with unsurety. "What was Reiner going on about with your father? Who are the warriors?"

"You don't ask questions."

"...'Kay."

"How did they find you?"

"I..kind of...spoke out loud."

Annie sighed. "That was your first mistake."

She released her grip on his shirt, and his feet finally hit the floor.

"I figured that." Marco smoothed his hand down the wrinkles.

"The next time you hear something you wasn't supposed to hear, don't make it obvious to them that you know," she told him, and started to make her leave.

"Wait!"

His hand barely brushed her shoulder when she flinched away instinctively, turning around to face him once more. "What?"

"Is it true that they are like Eren and can turn into titans? Are you somehow...involved in this too? Did you know?"

Silence.

"Are you...like them, Annie?"

More silence.

Should she answer?

"I promise I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to! Please, Annie! Just help me understand this."

"If I tell you the truth," she looked up at him, "would you think I am a monster as well?"

"I could never."

"You don't know me."

"Then this is your chance to let me." Marco stepped closer. "We're comrades, remember?"

Annie bit the inside of her jaw. "I don't trust you."

"Why?"

"Because I know you'll tell Jean."

"I -" his mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. "He's my best friend…"

"I don't care."

"He could be yours too."

"Listen -"

"No, _you_ listen!" Marco addressed firmly, much to Annie's surprise. "You can have friends, Annie. It's okay to let people in. It's okay to be human! I may not know you as well as I should, but I know you're not a bad person. You...you saved me. And even if you didn't, I'd still forgive you."

"Why?"

"Because Reiner brought your father into it, and it really bothered you. I could see it in your eyes. If I was in your situation and he brought up my mother, I would have gotten upset over it too."

"You don't know my situation."

"Can't you see that I'm trying to?"

Annie huffed.

"With everything that's happened lately…" Marco closed his eyes. "I realized how important life is and how much I want to protect it. I've...decided to join the Scouts!"

Her eyes widened. "Are you crazy?"

"Maybe." Marco chuckled.

"What does Jean think of this?"

"I haven't told him yet."

"Hm."

"Are Reiner and Bertholdt joining the Scouts as well?"

"I don't know." Annie's eyes narrowed. "Maybe."

If she continued with the original plan and joined the Military Police - what she was _supposed_ to do in the first place if she was going to succeed in her mission - she could turn a blind eye and let Marco face his fate, whether that was against a titan, or the traitors among them.

But...She spared this boy's life. And now she had to pay the price. Even if that meant her mission just got twelve times tougher.

"Jean's a really good guy once you get to know him," his voice brought her back from her thoughts. "He's a good leader and he -"

Annie put a hand up. "Yeah. I get it."

Marco was quiet once more, this time waiting for her to speak again.

"See you tomorrow," she muttered and walked away before he could say anything else.

* * *

Erwin Smith was a stern man.

Annie remained impassive as he made his speech, thinking back on what she's learned today. Jean's joining the Scouts. Even that weak, but bright, Armin Arlert was joining.

 _He'll be dead in a week,_ she mused to herself.

When the commander of the Survey Corps gave permission for those who didn't want to join them to leave right at that instant, she automatically turned on the heel of her boot and walked back towards the way she came.

But then she stopped. Halfway, she stopped.

 _Don't be a coward,_ she told herself. _Don't leave just because you think you're freed from this. You're never free. You'll never_ be _free. Not really._

"Fuck," she cursed, turning back around for what felt like the thousandth time in twenty four hours. She felt Erwin's eyes trail her movements curiously, but she refused to look up. Not until she was back up front, not until she reached Jean and Marco and came to a halt next to the former. He looked to be in a crisis, wrestling with himself, while the latter looked like he was about to start crying.

"Don't punk out now," she told them both, and their heads snapped up, looking at her in shock, traces of awe shown from both parties. "You know what you signed up for."

"Annie?" Jean breathed in disbelief.

"You...stayed?" Marco gasped.

"Well I'll be damned." Jean snorted. "We're so fucked."

"At least we're together," Marco said, forever the optimist in any situation.

With her fist over her heart and her arm crossed behind her back, she stared into the eyes of the boys she just signed a death sentence for.

"Together," Annie echoed.


End file.
